My interview process began with a conversation with the technical recruiter, which was professional and straightforward. Following that, I interviewed with the lead engineer and a lead robotics tester. The majority of the questions were clear and reasonable, covering my background and experience.
However, my overall experience was disappointing due to the unprofessional conduct of the lead robotics tester. He showed up late to the interview, and midway through decided to throw in a curveball behavioral/analytical question about explaining how to use a mechanical pencil. While I understand the intent of testing communication and problem-solving skills, the way it was delivered was inappropriate. As I worked through my response, the lead robotics tester chuckled and laughed at my struggle. This behavior felt undermining and dismissive, and it did not reflect the kind of collaborative and respectful culture one would expect from a company that promotes itself as being on the cutting edge of AI and robotics.
Interviews are a two-way street, and this interaction left me questioning not only the professionalism of the individual but also the culture that Sanctuary AI allows to represent its teams. For a candidate, this type of conduct raises serious concerns about how employees might be treated internally.
